The People v. Leo Frank Teacher’s Guide by Anti-Defamation League at Anti-Defamation League

http://www.adl.org/leofrank

The People v Leo Frank, a documentary written and directed by Ben Loeterman, brings to life one of the most fascinating criminal cases in American history: the 1913 murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, a child laborer in an Atlanta pencil factory, and the trial and lynching of Leo Frank, the Jewish factory supervisor from “up North” accused of her murder. Set against the backdrop of an American South struggling to shed its legacy of bigotry and xenophobia, the story is both a first-rate murder mystery and a thought-provoking look at racial, religious, regional and class prejudices in the early years of the 20th century. The teacher’s guide, developed by ADL to accompany the film, provides instructional materials that help secondary level students (grades 9-12) explore the intersection of various forms of oppression and the complexity of bias incidents at the center of the Leo Frank case. Students will emerge from their study of the case with an understanding of the ways in which anti-Semitism, racism and other social forces shaped life in the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow South.

Categories:
African American History: General
African American History: Lynching
African American History: Jim Crow
Jewish History
Women's History
Labor History
Anti-Oppression/Critical Consciousness: Race/Racism
Social Justice: General
Social Justice: Poverty & Economic Issues
Resources for finding DVDs/Videos

Grade Levels: high
Type of Material: lesson plan, DVD/video
Cost: no
Key Individuals: Leo Frank, Mary Phagan
Keywords: Leo Frank, The People v. Leo Frank, Mary Phagan, Lynching, Anti-Semitism, Racism, Classism, Socio-economic Issues, Media
Licensing: Anti-Defamation League

submitted by Scott Hirschfeld